Riders race through a jumping course designed to resemble outdoor obstacles – water features, platform jumps, and wide pie-shaped blocks of gravel – at breakneck speeds. And the risk of breaking necks (and legs) seems high too … too high for my taste, anyway. I’ve witnessed some gut-retching wipeouts for both rider and horse, and no one likes to see anyone, especially horses, hurt. (This isn’t hockey, folks).

Fortunately, at the Horseware Indoor Eventing Final at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, Ontario on November 7, 2015, no serious wipeouts occurred.

Waylon Roberts on West River took the win.

Yet, despite my reservation, I watched from the edge of my seat, heart pounding and barely breathing, as seven professional eventing contestants competed for $20,000 in prize money (divided among them). Thumping rock music sound-tracked each ride and often the reserved Canadian crowd had to be encouraged to cheer each rider.

Show jumping, like golf, is usually a breath-holding respectful event as each rider (and audience) gives full concentration to course and jumps.

Not Indoor Eventing. This is release-your-inner-hounds show jumping on steroids. (Not really, that’s just an expression).

The 45-minute Horseware Indoor Eventing Final resulted in the following finish:

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